The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announced today the election of 84 new members and 21 foreign associates from 15 countries in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Once again, UCSF faculty were included among those honored. This year’s new NAS members are:

I would also like to recognize the two faculty members elected last week to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), which is among the world’s oldest honorary societies and includes accomplished members of academia, business, public affairs, the humanities and the arts.

Jason Cyster, PhD, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Warner Greene, MD, PhD, director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology at the UCSF-affiliated J. David Gladstone Institutes, the Nick and Sue Hellmann Distinguished Professor of Translational Medicine, and a professor of medicine, microbiology, and immunology at UCSF

I am pleased to announce the launch of an exciting new program at UCSF: a $100 million preterm birth initiative of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, which will be led by Larry Rand, MD, director of Perinatal Services at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco Fetal Treatment Center. Dr. Rand will co-direct the initiative with Jaime Sepulveda, MD, MPH, MSc, DrSc, executive director of UCSF Global Health Sciences.

The initiative is jointly funded by Lynne and Marc Benioff and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This 10-year partnership aims to reduce the number of children who are born premature, and protect the health of preterm babies in California and worldwide.

This visionary effort could have a dramatic and sustainable impact on the leading cause of death for newborns across the globe. Every year, 15 million infants are born premature, defined as having a gestational age of less than 37 weeks, and more than 1 million of these infants die within their first 28 days of life. Much of this could be prevented through quality prenatal care.

The new program will focus on the many factors that drive prematurity and ways to encourage communities to adopt proven interventions. It also will develop new technologies, which we will freely share with partners throughout the world.

We also plan to collaborate with organizations such as the March of Dimes, Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirths, National Institutes of Health and World Health Organization, to make this effort a reality. For more information, see:...

On April 28, you will receive a message from Gallup to participate in the third UCSF Staff Engagement Survey, which will be administered April 28 through May 16. UCSF leadership strives to build a work environment that supports staff engagement, one that is conducive to achieving our collective mission of advancing health worldwide. Gallup, known nationally for its excellence in data-driven research, will administer the 2014 survey.

One of the primary ways we gauge our success in building a supportive work environment is by periodically gathering the opinions of our staff. The Staff Engagement Survey provides staff members with an opportunity to express their voices candidly and confidentially. The 2013 survey results showed progress on staff engagement, and units across the campus and medical center have created and implemented quality action plans to continue this improvement. The 2014 Staff Engagement Survey will provide greater insight into the impact of these efforts, and help us plan future engagement activities that contribute to making UCSF a great place to work.

The survey should take 5 to 10 minutes to complete, and Gallup will hold your responses in complete confidence. Responses will be reported anonymously without reference to identity of any respondents. We will provide an assessment of outcomes of the 2014 survey once it is closed and analysis of results completed.

Please take time to reflect on your employment experience at UCSF and share your feedback through this important survey.

As you know, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital has affiliated with Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland (CHO). Together, the two partners will become even stronger advocates for young patients on both sides of the San Francisco Bay.

Now, thanks to another generous $100 million gift from Lynne and Marc Benioff, we will strengthen the existing talent and programs in basic and clinical research and patient care offered by these two premier institutions – to read more about UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, please visit – http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/04/113131/ucsf-benioff-children%E2%80%99s-.... This funding also will enable us to attract world-renowned researchers and clinicians to accelerate the development of innovative solutions for children’s health care throughout the Bay Area, as well as nationally and globally.

You will notice a few changes to our name – and our look – starting with the colorful emblem on this page. The adoption of the Oakland location’s logo, which we are truly excited about, visibly places children at the heart of our mission and symbolizes our united efforts.

In addition, our San Francisco hospital will be called UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital...